Mechanical warning signal



July s 1924.

- 1,500,328 L. C. LESTER v MECHANICAL WARNING SIGNAL Filed Oct. 5, `1923July 8 1924.

L. C. LESTER MECHANICAL WARNING SIGNAL Filed Oct. 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2lll/4 Patented July 8, 1924.

UNITED STAI-Es LEONARD c. LESTER, or cRANs'roN, RHODE ISLAND.

lVIC-ANICAL i WARNING SIGNAL.

Applicationiled October. 3, 1923. Serial No 666,301.

To all whom t may concern: l

Beit known that 1,. Lnenenn C. Lnernn, e citizen of the United States,vresiding 'at' Cranston, in the' county of Providence. and State'of RhodeIsland, have inventedV cerfA tain new and useful Improvements Me,- vchanical Warning Signals, of which the' following is a specification.V g

My invention relates tomechanical warning signals, such as hornsof thediaphragm type, adapted. for use upon automobiles and other powervehicles. Y c

The essentiel Obi eete f my invention f are' to enable the use of themotive power of the Vehicle es the eperetingferee .et the Signal-s tofacilitate operation `and control of the letter; t0 insure' certaintyand Speed. in; operation, as `well as clearness and volume of sound; andto attain these and other obieetS, Wheh 'will hereinafter be apparent,in a structure adapted for inexpensive cons .trnetene y i Te theV abete`and allied.` ende essentially my intention .eeneete in enehrerte and insuchcombinations offparts as fall within the eeepe ofthe appendedClaime- Inv the accompanying drawings which, form a partl ofl thisspecificatiom and whereinfis shown merely a preferredform of embodimentof-myinvention,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of my signal. applied toa typicalautomobile engine'.

Figure 2, a-front end elevation of the signalwith a fragmentary'showingof the par/tjs adjacent thereto. and the fan `in'loroken lines; 'Y i'Figures 3.and 4, section on lines 4-.4 of- Figure 2, and 'Y Figures 5, 6and 7, section on lines 5 5, 6 6, andl 7-7 respectively of Figure- 4.

Like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the views.

For thepurpose of illustrating my invention'I have `shown in the-drawinga portion 10 of the-body, the instrument board 11, the engine casing 12,fan 13, fan shaft 14, 'shaft pulley 15, crank shaft or cam shaft 16,'shaft pulleyv 17, fan belt 18, and the steering post 2O of a typicalautomobile operating in the usual manner.

Attached to the engine case 12 by a. screw or otherwise is the arm 26 ofa bracket 27 fastened by screws 28 to the frame or casing 30 ofthehornor signal having the 34-3 and supporting section 35,4 a clampingsection- 36, between which and the latter is posi-A tioned an `acousticdiaphragm 37, anda housing section 38. All the sections being.

secured together at their margins by bolts 39. `The frame is completedby 'anangular bracket or arm 41 attached by screws 42to the housingsection 38. The diaphragm 37 is provided with the usual button43'extendthe diaphra m 37 and section 36. v

In aligne openings 48 and 49 in the sections 36 and 38 are thebearings51 and v52 ing into the sounding chamber 44 between of avib-rator shaftor driven shaft ,54 fixed;

to Whose intermediate portion -is a gearor pinion 56, and fast to whoseend is aA vibrator 58 having teeth 59 engageable with thebut# ton 43.Spaced from theshaft are aligned holes 65 and 66 in the sections `36 and38 re-' spectively.y In hole 65 is fixed. oneend of a stationary or stubshaft 67 which traverses the hole 66 and projects forwardly of thecasing and'is supported at its end in a'hole 68 in the bracketV 41. Thetwo shafts are parallel to each other. The'shaft 67Y near its outer endis of enlarged diameter,vas .of 70, forming end shoulders 71. Rotatablymounted on theshaft portion 7 O isa pulley or driving member 73restrained from inward axial movement b-y a shoulder 74 on one end ofthe enlarged portion ofthe shaft.

InterposedL between vthe vmember 73 and the Y.

shaftand fast to the former is abushing 75 whose end bears against thelarm V41. Upon the inner end faceof the member 73 are one or more, inthis instance two, pins or projections-78. The fan beltg18 engages anddrives the member 73. Y

Rotatably mounted Von the-shaft 67 Abetween the section 38 andvmember73, and

having free axial movement upon the shaft,

is an intermediate clutch member or neutral v berA 80 is a drivenelement constituting a tudinal slots 94k in which are slidably re:tained the lugs 86.

. or bracket 106 fixed to the section 38.

The member which is adapted to alternately engage and f disengage thedriving member 73 may be axially shifted in any convenient manner. Themeans illustrated consistsV of a forked lever 96 comprising an arm 97and fork 98 in which is suspended by pivot members 99, a yoke 100 whichslides in the groove 82 of the disk 81. The arm of the shifting lever isintermediate its length pivoted by a pin 103 to ears 105 on a platePivotally attached to the free end ofthe lever arm 97, as at 108, isarod 109 pivotally attached at its other end to one end of a lever 110whichv in turn is pivoted intermediate its length to a bracket 113 onthe dash 11. In the other end of the lever 110 is'pivoted the end of arod 115 sliding in an eye 116 on alcollar117 fast to the post 20 andterminating ina knob 119. A helical spring 120 interposed between theeye V116 and the knob is adapted to take up the play of the rods 109land 115. Manual pressure on the button through the rod Aconnectionsserves to force the member 80into operative relation with the member 73. As soon as the pressure is released the member 80 is returned tooriginal position by spring means located in any convenient position toact upon the member 80 or the lever 96. In this case the spring meansconsists of a helical spring 122 surrounding the shaft 67 with its endsabutting yagainst the disk 81 and the adjacent shoulder 71 of the shaft.

The operation of my device is as follows. The normal positions of theparts are as shown in Figure 3, all the parts except the member 73,which is constantlyV in rotation by means of the belt 18, beinginactive. Pressure by the operator on the knob 119 forces the member 80,against the tension of spring 122, towards the member 73 which bringsthe lug 84 into the path of the pins 78, by one of which it is engagedand the member 80 rotated so long as pressure is maintained on the knob.This rotation is imparted by the lugs 86 to the sleeve 89, and gear 93to the pinion 56, shaftv 54, and vibrator 58 whereby the diaphragm is y'l vibrated through the teeth 59 and button 43.

'It vis to be understood that the invention is'not limited to thespecific form herein illustrated and described, but may be em- Y A 1. Ina signal of the class described, a vibratorydiaphragm, a rotatablevibrator in operative engagementwith the diaphragm, a fixed shaftadjacent the vibrator", a driven member rotatably mounted on the shaftfor actuating the vibrator, a continuously rotating driving member onthe shaft, an axially slidable clutch member rotatably mounted on theshaft in slidable engagement with the driven member and movable intoandout off engagement with the driving; member, and means for sliding theclutch member.

2. In a signal of the class described, a vibratory diaphragm, arotatabley vibrator inl operative engagementV with thev diaphragm, afixed shaft adjacent the vibrator, an axially stationary' driven memberrotatably mounted on the shaft for actuating the vibrator, an axiallystationary continuously rotating driving member on the shaft, a clutchmember rotatably mounted on the shaft in permanent sliding engagementwith the driven member and axiallyv movable into" and out of engagementwith the ldriving member, and manually operated means for moving theclutch member into engagement with the driving member. f 1

3. In a signal of the class described,". vibratory diaphragm,a rotatablevibrator in operative engagement with the diaphragm, a

fixed shaft adjacent the vibrator, an axially stationary driven memberrotatably mounted` on the shaft for actuatingt'he vibrator, an axiallystationary continuously rotating driving member on .the shaft, anaxially ics slidable clutch member rotatably rmounted on the shaftbetween the driven memberand driving member inslidable engagement withthe driven memberand movable into and out of engagement with the drivingmember, manually operated means for moving 'the clutch member intolengagement withfthe driving member, and resilient means'for disengagingthe clutch member from 'thel'driving member, i

4.' Inv afsign'al of the class described, avi-v bratory diaphragm, arotatable vibrator in operative engagement with the diaphragm, a fixedshaft adjacent the vibrator, ay driven member rotatably mounted on theshaft for actuating the vibrator, a. driving memberrotatably mounted onthe shaft, an axially `slidable clutch member rotatably mounted on theshaft between the driving memberV and driven member engagea-ble with thedriv ing member and driven member, Va spring supported by the shaftinterposed between the clutch member anddriving Vmember to maintain theclutchv member inengagement with the driven member, and manuallyoperated means for moving the clutch member into engagement with thedriving member.

5. In a signal of the class described, a vibratory diaphragm, a rotaryaxially immovable vibrator shaft adjacent the diaphragm, a vibrator onthe shaft in operative engagement with the diaphragm, a pinion on theshaft, a xed shaft adjacent the first shaft, a drivingl membercomprising a pulley loose on the second shaft, and a projection on thepulley, a clutch member comprising a disk rotatably mounted on thesecondshaft and axially slidably thereon, a lug on the disk engageable Withthe pin, and axial lugs on the disk, a driven member comprising a rotaryaxially immovable sleeve on the second shaft provided With slotsslidably engageable With the axial lugs, and a gear fast to the sleevemeshing With the pinion, and means for axially sliding the disk.

6. In combination with the body, the engine case, the fan, the fan belt,and the steering post of an automobile, ofa bracket on the engine case,a signal comprising a frame supported by the bracket, and a soundoutlet, a diaphragm in the frame, a rotatable vibrator supported in theframe in operative engagement With the diaphragm, a shaft fixed in theframe adjacent the vibrator, a driven member rotatably mounted on thefixed shaft for actuating the vibrator, a pulley loosely mounted on thefixed shaft engaging the fan belt, a projection on the face of thepulley, a disk rotatably mounted on the fixed shaft and axially slidablethereon, lugs on the disk engaging VJche driven member, a shifting leverpivotally supported intermediate its length upon the frame 'engaging thedisk, a lever pivoted to the body, a rod connecting the levers, a collaron the steering post, a rod slidably supported in the collar engagingthe second lever, a knob on the slidable rod, and a spring interposedbetWeen the knob and the collar.

In testimony whereof I have aiiixed my signature.

LEONARD C. LESTER.

